How the Economics of Friendship Shape Work and Life
Friendship is a fundamental and universal human need. This form of social connection cultivates mutual affection, trust, interdependence, and joy. According to one of modern social science’s longest ongoing studies, the social connections of friendship enrich and even extend our…
Five Tips for Being the Life of the Party!
About two years ago I received a really great compliment from my friend Alison: “John, I just thought of a perfect job for you – Party Initiator.” From a very young age I’ve always had a knack for exuding contagious…
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Last week Michelle, my lovely wife who is her own person, and I signed our revised wills and power of attorney documents. Life maintenance and adulting are important, after all. The phrase “serve egg salad sandwiches” is in my will….
How to Give a Proper Apology
Saying sorry is hard and most of us suck at it. Apologies are uncomfortable, difficult and they can be embarrassing. They can also be healing, transformative and satisfying. They help us have better conversations in our worklife, too. Great apologies…
Three Ways to Lead with Love
Valentines Day is coming up and you will probably have a few conversations about love in the days ahead. I think that we need to be having more conversations about love at work because there are profound benefits when it…
Five Tips for Being More Romantic from Notting Hill
It’s Valentines Day today and I recently watched Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts light up the screen and box office with the romantic comedy Notting Hill on Netflix. In case you missed it, the film tells the story of ordinary William…
How to Give Feedback
A focus of this blog is to help you have better conversations. Enhancing dialogue at work, in classrooms and throughout neighbourhoods makes our communities more engaged, diverse and healthier. Accepting and offering feedback are essential elements of great conversations. Giving…
What I am Learning from Dinner Conversations about Gratitude
Having dinner together as a family is one of the simplest things that you can do to build a healthy community at home. Whether you share a meal with one person or twenty, taking time together to reflect on our…
Six Tips for Thriving at Networking Events
Ever found yourself wandering about aimlessly at a networking event? Everyone but you seems to have paired off and you’re on your own like a wallflower, wine glass in hand and concerned look on your face. We’ve all been there…
How to Make Awesome Introductions
Being introduced to people is one of the best ways to become part of a community. As a career practitioner, I’m in the business of making hundreds of human connections every year and this article will explore how to make…